This May, New Morning Market celebrates 55 years in business. A milestone that invites both reflection and gratitude.
Since opening our doors in 1971, as the New Morning Trading Company, our hope has been to nourish ourselves and our community by providing pure simple good food. We believe food is foundational to our dignity, identity, and connection to the natural world and those we share it with. Our small shop’s storefront had birch barrels filled with grains, beans, nuts and dried fruits as well as makeshift sleeping quarters in the backroom. It was built on passion, curiosity, and a belief in creating something better – a lifestyle of health and sustainability.
That belief still guides us today. It’s what we mean when we say we are built for the future we believe in.
Early customers were drawn not only to the food, but to the lifestyle it represented. Among them was a college student named John Pittari, someone who would soon play a defining role in shaping New Morning’s future. Within a year of working part-time, John became the manager. Within five years, he became the owner.
Under John’s leadership, New Morning grew alongside a movement that, at the time, was still finding its footing. Natural and organic foods were not yet widely available, and distribution channels were limited. John helped change that. Traveling, building relationships, and seeking out producers who shared a commitment to quality and integrity. Every product had to meet ingredient and production standards. An outcome of this early work was the USDA National Organic Program.
From the beginning, local partnerships have been at the heart of what we do. Our shelves were stocked with maple syrup, honey, eggs, butter, cottage cheese, and yogurt from nearby farms long before “local sourcing” became a trend. As we grew, so did our offerings, expanding to include wholesome prepared foods, artisan-made goods, thoughtfully selected grocery staples, and more.
And grow we did. Over the years, New Morning outgrew 3 locations in Woodbury, each move reflecting not just an increase in size, but an expansion of purpose. In 2012, we built our current home on Main Street, a space designed to bring together food, wellness, and community under one roof.
Today, as we celebrate 55 years, we are also looking ahead. A new chapter is unfolding, as Lucinda Pittari and her partner Richard Park step into the future of New Morning Market. Their leadership represents both continuity and evolution grounded in the values that have always defined us, while bringing fresh energy and perspective to what comes next.
Through it all, John Pittari remains our North Star. A steady source of guidance, vision, and the principles that continue to shape every decision we make. Because at our core, New Morning Market has always been about more than what’s on our shelves. It’s about what we’re building together day by day, choice by choice.
Built for the future we believe in. We believe that how food is grown, sourced, and shared matters. We believe in supporting local farmers and makers. We believe in creating a place where people feel connected to their food, to their health, and to each other.
To everyone who has been part of this journey, our customers, our staff, our partners, and our neighbors, thank you. Your support has shaped who we are today and continues to guide where we’re going.
Fifty-five years in, this is still just the beginning. And here’s to the next chapter of goodness.
Recent Comments